The UK’s NHS to roll out free antismoking pill. Will it work?

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is rolling out a free antismoking pill called varenicline for British smokers. Research has shown that varenicline is more effective than traditional nicotine-replacement therapies such as gum or patches.

Approximately 85,000 smokers will be eligible to receive the antismoking medication which will be provided alongside “behavioural support” programmes aimed at helping people to quit smoking, the NHS announced earlier this week.

Research conducted by University College London suggests that it might prevent approximately 9,500 smoking-related deaths within the next five years.

“This simple daily pill could be a game-changer for people who want to quit smoking and is another vital step in shifting our NHS further towards prevention,” stated NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard.

So, how does the new drug work and could it help to prevent serious, smoking-related diseases?

According to a 2023 Annual Population Survey of households conducted in the United Kingdom, roughly 11.9 percent of adults aged 18 years or over (around 6 million people) are current smokers.

The number of adult smokers by country within the UK are as follows:

This is a new version of an older drug called Champix. The new rollout is part of a wider UK initiative to decrease the number of smokers in the region and produce overall cost savings to the NHS.

In 2006, Champix, made by Pfizer, was the brand name for this antismoking medication in the UK market but it was withdrawn in October 2021 due to concerns about its content of nitrosamine, a known carcinogen.